Changing the Past to Save Their Future
by musiqriter
Summary: Desdemona Faye Black. Daughter of infamous death eater and youngest son of the black family, Regulus Black. But she wasn't like her dad. Or her mom, Serena Black nee Evans. Or even her Godfather Severus. Des is completly unique to herself; she's quidditch obssessed, (was) head girl and a perfect, best friends with the Weasley family, and madly in love with a dead man.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** **Okay, I'd like to start by saying THANK YOU FOR READING!** This is a time turner story in which my OC goes back to the marauder era to warn everyone of the war, the traitors, the deaths, and the future. Yeah, yeah, yeah! I know it'll alter the time line and the future but that's kind of the point. Don't like, don't read. ALSO, I rated it M to be safe but it's most likely just going to be T. IDK, I've never posted on Fanfic so I'm not sure.

This is an _extremely_ short prologue, the actual story will start next chapter and takes place in the marauder's th year right after Desdemona travels back in time.

 **PROLOGUE**

It's been almost 3 years since the war. 3 years since she lost her uncle. 3 years since she lost her love.

Des has been speaking to Dumbledore's portrait and he seems to think if she times things just right she could save them. Prevent the war entirely. It won't be easy and it's going to take time. But if Des can go back far enough - _before the first war -_ she might be able to save more than she dares to hope for.

After 3 years, Des finally thinks she's tampered with the time turner and managed to make the clock go by years instead of hours.

"Remember, child. You may not answer any questions, you are only to read what is written. The book is enchanted - chapters will appear as you read them and disappear as you finish them," The wise portrait of the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had spoke.

"Yes sir, I know." The young girl in front of him breath out, anxiously clutching the necklace around her neck. "I've only got one shot so I'll have to make it count. Do you have any idea how long I'll be there before time fixes itself and sends me back here?"

"None at all," the portrait beamed. "25 turns should do the trick. And remember, they must not know who you are. The book will reveal it soon enough. You may share your first name is you choose,"

"What do you -" the dark haired girl started, eyes wide in surprise.

"25 turns." His blue eyes sparkle behind his spectacles as he smies at her encouragingly.

Taking a deep breathe, the dark haired girl begins counting the turns of the time turner around her neck. Clutching the book and a hogwarts crested envolope tightly she watches the minature sand filled turner spin rapidly. Closing her eyes she feels her environment change rapidly, as if she's flying through the seasons and the days. With a sudden crashing feeling, she hits the hard floor with a loud and painful _THUD!_


	2. Young(ish) Dumbledore and an RoR Meeting

A/N: I don't own any links unless I say otherwise, and I don't own harry potter or any of the characters/events. (If I did Harry would've ended up with Luna because she has more personality throughout the books and it's not as expected as him with Ginny. Cliche much?)

As I lay on the hard, stone floor and try to catch my breath I hear a slight chuckling sound. Groaning I manage to lift my head up partially, only to take in an amused, very much alive, Dumbledore. My eyes widen in shock at seeing the man I watched die, happily unwrapping a lemon drop as he laughs at me pain.

"Professor?" I stand up carefully, eyes not leaving him in fear that he'll disappear as soon as I do. "Is … is that really you? You're alive?"

"Yes, I believe I am quite alive." The old but younger than I remember headmaster smiles at me, eyes twinkling. "Now, correct me if I'm mistaken but I do believe that the letter you hold is addressed to me?"

I nod quickly, surprised that he noticed, before handing him the letter and taking a seat as he reads through the note from his future portrait-self.

After only several minutes, Professor Dumbledore nods and begins questioning me on certain things (assuring me that his future portrait-self gave permission in the letter at my hesitation). We talk for several minutes as I explain my goal, the books, and several other things (including my father and Godfather).

Finally satisfied, Dumbledore allows me to leave the office and make my way to the Room of Requirement where he's certain everyone I need to speak to will be shortly. I don't slow down to admire the school as I rush to the RoR, partially because time is limited and partially because it honestly looks the same as when I went (or will go) to Hogwarts.

I quickly make my way to the left corridor on the seventh floor, trying to decide the best way to explain things to everyone. Especially since there are going to be some Slytherins and some Gryffindors, in one room for an unknown amount of time. Biting my lip I quickly pace three times across from the tapestries of some type of dancing Trolls.

" _I need a place we can read the books, without any of the others being able to use magic to cause harm or damage to each other, the books, or me."_ I think, picturing a large room with plenty of room and seats for all. " _Somewhere everyone that needs to will be able to find."_

A large door appears and I eagerly make my way inside. I take note that the room seems to be decked out in a combination of Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw style. In the middle of the room, right across from the door, is a large house-neutral chair with a tall lamp behind it and a smaller lamp besides it on a little table. As soon as I sit, swerving the chair away from the door as I do so, I hear people entering.

"Professor Dumbledore, what is this place?" A female voice asks full of wonder and curiosity.

"This, Ms. Evans," _Harry's mom? Or mine?_ I wonder immediately. "Is the Room of Requirements. It is a secret room that only appears when those in need are in dire need of it." The older wizard explains briefly. "Now, if all you students could take a seat there is someone who'd like to meet you. She will be explaining why you were all called her as well."

I nervously squeeze the book before swerving the chair back around, facing all the the people who need to know of the future in order to change it.

Six Gryffindors. Three Slytherins. One Ravenclaw.

The nine mostly strange strangers stare at me confused. I stare back nervously; it's 1975 and most of the people sitting around me are in their 6th year. Except my parents, who are only 4th years, and a blonde haired Slytherin who is a 7th year.

"My name's Des," I start off awkwardly as I try to avoid staring at my parents. It's kind of weird, I mean right now they're younger than me and in three years they're going to have me.

"It's nice to meet you Des, my name is Lily Evans and this is my younger sister Serena." The redhead introduces herself and my mother first. "If you don't mind me asking, what did you need to speak to all of us about?"

"This is going to sound … strange." I start slowly, "I'm from the future. I traveled back from the year 2000 actually, Dumbledore from my time helped me tinker with a TimeTurner in order to be sent back here. To change things."

I can tell from the expressions around the room that nobody believes me. "I know things about you all, things that have happened and things that will happen. Well, except Narcissa. I'm afraid I don't know you very well so I don't know anything personal." I can tell my blonde cousin is surprised I know her name.

"Okay, prove it. Tell us something that has happened that you know but isn't common knowledge." The young Remus Lupin offers, looking as if he's willing to believe me so long as I can provide evidence.

"I'm not very good with dates, so some of the stuff might not have happened yet. I'll start with Lily, since she introduced herself first." I try to remember everything I know about the woman, which isn't much but I do know quite a bit about her childhood thanks to my Godfather.

"Alright, Lily. You have two sisters, Serena Rose and Petunia, but you don't get along with your older sister because she's jealous of you two having magic. She wrote a letter to Dumbledore once, although I won't go into details on what it was about. You two, along with Severus Snape, read it much to her embarrassment.

"Serena, you tutor Regulus Black in transfiguration and have been since your second year. You only started to because Severus asked but you've actually become friends since then. You have a strange obsession with William Shakespeare, especially his play _Othello_."

I turn towards the future Longbottom couple next. "Alice and Frank, you two have been friends since your first day of Hogwarts but didn't start dating until fourth year I believe. Frank's family is a bit … eccentric. You both are aspiring to be aurors." I turn to the ¾ marauders present.

"You three, along with Peter Pettigrew, call yourselves the Marauders. Your nicknames are Prongs, Moony, and Padfoot. And Pettigrew it Wormtail."

"Everyone knows that." Sirius cuts in, eyes narrowed in distrust as I roll my eyes.

Standing up, I make my way to him and whisper _why_ they have the nicknames they do. Once I'm happily seated again I take note of his shocked expression.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" James demands, obviously confused on what I could've whispered to Sirius in order to convince him.

I wince, conflicted on how to answer without actually _answering._ "Everything will be revealed eventually," I explain. "For now you just have to trust that I have the best intentions for all of you."

"You've given me no reason to trust nor believe you in the slightest," my younger-than-me Godfather sneers, rolling his eyes.

"You're Severus Snape; you excel in D.A.D.A and Potions, although you often have to correct the instructions in the potions book. If I were to open your _Advanced Potion Making_ textbook by Libatius Borage and go to the back cover, do you know what I'd find?" I grin at his uncomfortable expression; noting also that the marauders look interested as well. "Your signature, of course. However, you did use your mum's last name." He looks relieved as the marauders lose interest.

"Now, it everyone's willing to listen I'd like to get started." I take a quick look around the room, eyes lingering slightly on my parents sitting opposite each other.

"Wait!" Sirius exclaims suddenly, excitement shining in his dark eyes. "Are you related to any of us in here?"

They all get excited as I struggle to hide my thoughts and expression. "I'm related to … several of you, actually. I do know all of you, even if I'm not related to all of you."

"Really? Who?" Lily asks, surprised and curious.

"If we go based on looks, I'd say she's related to someone with dark hair. That could be Sirius, James, Regulus, Alice, or Frank. Or Snape." Remus points out, looking closely at my facial structure.

"ARE YOU MY DAUGHTER?" Sirius demands, eyes wide in fear and shock. "I'M TOO YOUNG TO BE A FATHER! PLUS SHE'S OLDER THAN ME, PRONGSIE!" Sirius yells panicked as he shakes James.

"I'm not allowed to say who I'm related to yet," I snap at him. "The books will reveal it soon enough."

"Books?" Serena questions, as everyone settles back down. "What books?"

I smile at her, "This book. It's charmed so chapters appear as we finish ones. This is what I shall be reading to you all in order to tell you what happens in the future. The First book is called _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."_

"Who's Harry Potter?" Frank questions as James grins widely, throwing his arm around Lily.

"Our son, of course. I can't say I'm surprised that our son is such a big deal that the future telling book is named after him." James smirks cockily as Lily scoffs.

"Dream on, Potter."

"You know how we can know for sure? Let's read the book!" Alice snaps, annoyed at the bickering she - and everyone else - is so tired of hearing.

Everyone turns to me again, sheepish as they notice my annoyance. "The first chapter is called _The Boy Who Lived."_

And so it begins.

A/N: I will be skipping this chapter because I find it boring to reread so many times. The next chapter will be them reflecting on chapter one and then maybe chapter two of the book. THANKS FOR READING!


	3. Horrible Dursely's

**CHAPTER TWO:**

A/N: Okay so chapter from books will be _like this_ while the actual book will be **like this.** Easy enough? Bold is J.K. Rowling's writing, italicized is chapter titles. Since I will also be adding in more since I will be adding my OC Des into the real story, I will have my own words **like this.** Bold and underlined will be my add-ons to the storyline, kay?

"WHY IN THE HELL DIDN'T DUMBLEDORE TAKE HIM TO ME?" Serena screeches as soon as I finish the first chapter. "HONESTLY! PETUNIA'S AN ABSOLUTE HORROR!"

Lily looks as if she might faint and even James seems to have gotten over his gloating that she _did_ marry him. Sirius and Remus look equally confused, no doubt wondering why Harry wasn't sent to either of them if Serena wasn't able to take Harry.

As the Gryffindors and Ravenclaw discuss what could have caused Dumbledore such severe head trauma that he'd send Lily's son to Petunia, I start thinking back to where _I_ was during this time.

Halloween, 1981. My third birthday ( I was born 10-31-1978). Dad died when I was only one year old. Mum followed a few months before I turned three and I didn't go to live with my Godfather until I was almost four. Where was I?

And suddenly it hits me; The Weasley's. I stayed with them off after mum died; the twins and I are the same age while Ron and Harry are the same age. It must have been right before Ginny was born then.

"Uh, Des? I think you should try and calm them down a bit before they go and try killing Dumbledore for something he hasn't even done. Yet." Alice points out and I realize the overexcited group looked ready to kill.

"If you lot would quiet down, I could continue and you might get some answers sooner rather than later." Immediately they calm down, wanting to hear what happens next.

" _Chapter Two: The Vanishing Glass._ **Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursley's' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a**

 **large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets - but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too."**

"Did I come and take him away?" Serena pleaded, desperate to have her nephew far away from her sister.

"Did _anyone_ come and take him away?" Lily pleaded, just as desperate.

" **Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day."**

"What a way to wake up!" Sirius groaned, all too familiar with a shrill voice waking him up.

" **"Up! Get up! Now!"**

 **Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

 **"Up!" she screeched.**

 **Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

 **His aunt was back outside the door.**

 **"Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

 **"Nearly," said Harry.**

 **"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

 **Harry groaned.**

 **"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

 **"Nothing, nothing..."**

 **Dudley's birthday - how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.** "

"HE SLEPT WHERE?!" Lily shrieked, face turning as red as her hair. Everyone around looked equally upset, shocked, and angry.

James looked like he was ready to set someone - probably Petunia or Vernon - on fire while Sirius looked like he would help. Remus was too shocked to be angry, Serena looked like her red hair would burst into flames at any moment.

"Filthy muggles," Narcissa sneered annoyed. She may be a Slytherin but she disapproved of the term 'mudblood' - claiming it wasn't lady like and therefore was beneath her.

Even Severus and Regulus looked disturbed to know a child was living - or would be living - under the staircase.

" **When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise - unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

 **Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age.** "

Lily and James started mumbling threats and plotting (slightly dangerous) pranks for their future in-laws. Although, neither seemed to realize they were doing it together.

" **He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

 **"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said. "And don't ask questions."**

 **Don't ask questions - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.** "

"Car crash? What's a car?" Narcissa questioned, confused as she didn't know - or want to know, honestly, - muggle terms or items.

"If he doesn't ask questions, how is he supposed to learn?" Lily demanded angrily, as Serena quickly explained what a car was.

"You lot do know that by interrupting this often, it's going to take forever to read the book right?" I ask, deciding that at this rate it'll take months to get through all seven years the books will cover. "Things get better for Harry later on but if you keep making your comments you'll never know how they get better. Or how to change things. I'm on a limited time schedule, I could be sent back at any time and when I am the book goes with."

"No more interruptions!" Lily warned, giving one of her death glares as she does so.

Once it's obvious that nobody is going to cross the red head, I again pick up the book.

 **Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

 **"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

 **About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place.**

 **Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel - Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.** "

The three present members of the marauders burst into child like laughter and giggles as Harry's comparison. Lily is quick to silence them with a single look - or at least two of them. Sirius starts choking on his laughter at his attempt to stop.

"Please tell me he uses accidental magic to turn his oaf of a cousin into a pig," He pleads only to receive a sharp smack to the back of the head. Immediately he falls silent and glares at my mother.

 **Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

 **"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

 **"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."**

 **"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face.**

 **Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.** "

Everyone scoffs, disgusted at how spoiled the boy is.

"Honestly, the little fat kid's more spoiled than James!" Remus exclaims, shocked because he never thought anyone could be more spoiled than James.

"Yea- hey! What's that supposed to mean?" James cries out indignified. "I am not spoiled!"

Here everyone - including the Slytherins- roll their eyes.

"Dude, I don't even know your parents and I can tell you are spoiled just by looking at you." I tease, unable to help poke fun at my future uncle. "Don't worry though, you're spoiled we didn't say you were a spoiled brat."

James crosses his arms, pouting as Sirius teases him further.

 **Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly,**

 **"And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right''**

 **Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said**

 **slowly, "So I'll have thirty ... thirty..."**

 **"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

"Don't encourage that type of behavior!" Narcissa whisper-yells under her breath, horrified at Petunia's parenting.

"Idiot can't even add two to thirty-seven." Severus mutters, clearly shocked.

 **"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

 **Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

 **At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

 **"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

 **Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

 **"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

" **What about that strange girl? The one who's always hanging around during the summer, Diana or something." Vernon asked, "We could probably convince her to look after the boy for awhile."**

 **Harry felt his spirit lift, knowing that the girl his uncle was referring to would be more than willing to watch him. Desdemona Black is two years older than him and doesn't seem to actually live in the neighborhood but she's always hanging around - particularly at the park during the summer. She's very nice and usually finds Harry on the day's he's not trapped at number four Privet Drive.**

" **She goes to a finishing school for young ladies in Scotland year round, Vernon. Besides, Desdemona wouldn't want to watch after the boy." Petunia informed her husband, correcting the name of the young girl.**

 **Harry's shoulders fell slightly; he'd forgotten that Des had started attending a private school two years ago. She wasn't around as much except during the summer. But whenever she was around she always made a point of stopping to see him, usually bringing some type of treat or taking him out for the day when his aunt and uncle allowed it.**

"Wait- he's talking about you isn't he?" Sirius realized, shock on his face. "And he said you're last name is Black. YOU ARE MY DAUGHTER!" He began freaking out, clearly not knowing how to react to being a 'father.'

"Yes, he is talking about me but -" I start only to get tackled out of my chair in a flurry of red hair.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING NICE TO MY SON!" Lily squeals, squeezing me tightly.

I can't help but laugh slightly, "Of course I'd be nice to him! He's family, after all."

Sirius and Serena look at each other, horrified. "EWW! I did not get with _that_ did I?" My mom pleads, gesturing towards my uncle.

I notice that my dad, Regulus, seems extremely upset by this and can't help but grin at his jealousy. "No you didn't."

Everyone stops moving and making noise. Slowly, as one, they turn and look at the stunned Regulus. Both he and Serena flush slightly, shyly looking away from everyone.

Lily's grinning widely at her younger sister, "Aww! Rena, when did you two get together?" She demands.

"We-we're not." Serena mutters, clearly uncomfortable with everyone watching the two.

"They get together begining of next year." I offer up, enjoying seeing my parents look all flushed.

"So you're … our daughter?" Regulus questions, quietly and slowly as if he's uncertain.

"Yup. You have me when you guys are 17, right in the midst of the first War. October 31, 1978." I grin at them.

"So we just let you visit? Why don't I take Harry away from those people?" Your mother demands, eyes narrowed in thought.

I shift uncomfortably and Regulus seems to realize _why_ I won't - can't - answer the question they keep repeating. "Let's just keep reading, I'm sure the book explains things later on." He suggests, surprising Serena who thought he'd be as curious about their future relationship as she was.

 **"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

 **"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

 **The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

 **"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?"**

 **"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

 **"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

 **Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

 **"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

 **"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

 **"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "... and leave him in the car..."**

 **"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone..."**

 **Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying - it had been years since he'd really cried - but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

"Of course she would, the bloody idiot doesn't know anything about properly raising children." Alice mumbles as Frank rubs her shoulders comfortingly.

 **"Dinky Duddydums, -**

Everyone starts laughing, cutting me off again. Even the Slytherins seem amused, although they aren't showing it nearly as much as the others.

Grinning, I watch as Sirius and James try saying 'Dinky Duddydums' five times as fast as they can.

 **"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

 **"I... don't... want... him... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp- spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

 **Just then, the doorbell rang - "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically - and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

 **Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

"I swear, if he does anything to my son," James growls out angrily.

"You'll what? The kid isn't even born yet." Remus points out as Sirius scoffs.

"But the idiot that Lily's sister marries is alive right now." Sirius points out.

"No! You must not do anything to harm anyone from the book!" I warn frantically. "If you do, who knows what'll happen."

"But if we can't harm them, why are you telling us what'll happen?" Serena demands - wow, I didn't know I got my bossy side from her. I always assumed it came from my dad's side of the family, I mean Sirius is pretty bossy later on.

"So you can reconsider choices you make later on. So you can change things for the better. So you can save lives."

The silence is sudden as they realize what you're talking about - some of them (besides Lily and James, who they already know die) won't be alive in the future you're from.

"Who?" Frank questions softly, holding Alice a little bit tighter to his side.

"The book will reveal everything in time." I softly try to change their attention back to the book. "I'm sorry but you'll have to find things out as Harry did."

Looks are passed as everyone eyes each other, wondering who will be dead in the next five years.

 **"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy - any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

 **"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly..**

 **But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did. The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

 **Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

 **Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls) - The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

 **On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid- jump.**

"Your son can Apparate at the age 10? James your son is officially cooler than you!" Sirius grins, jumping up and down in his spot excitedly as James rolls his eyes.

"No doubt that the kid's cool, he is _my_ son after all. But he can never be cooler than me!" Sensing the start of an argument I quickly start reading again.

 **But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

 **While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.**

 **"... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

" **I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It**

 **was flying."**

 **Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

 **Dudley and Piers sniggered. I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**

 **But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon - they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

 **It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

"Harry, don't insult the gorillas." Sirius pretended to scold, 'sternly.' "They have more brains than your idiot cousin."

 **Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

 **Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

There was a collective groan in the room.

 **After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can - but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

 **Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

 **"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

 **"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

 **"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

 **Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself - no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

 **The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

 **It winked.**

 **Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

"NO PRONGSLET! DON'T GO TO THE CRAZY SIDE!" Sirius screamed loudly, causing Serena to jump in surprise. Everyone stared at him as he looked embarrassed. Looking away he started whistling softly.

 **The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: "I get that all the time."**

 **"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

 **The snake nodded vigorously.**

 **"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

 **The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

 **Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

 **"Was it nice there?"**

 **The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on:**

 **This specimen was bred in the zoo.**

 **"Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil?"**

 **As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump.**

 **"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

 **Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

 **"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened - one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

"Ah, I love accidental magic." Serena sighed happily. "Remember when I was 8 and turned Petunia's hair neon orange?"

Lily grinned, "Yeah! That was when I realized you were a witch too, Sev had told me about magic the year before." Her smile dimmed as she called Severus by the nickname she used for him before.

I quickly realized that they were 6th years which means it was only last year he called her a mudblood. _Maybe I'll be able to salvage their friendship while I'm here._

 **Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

 **As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come... Thanksss, amigo."**

 **The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

 **"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

 **The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

"Okay, I'll say it. How the hell does Potter's offspring speak parseltongue?" Severus asked as everyone looked uneasy.

"Well, I am from a really old pure-blood family." James looked uncomfortable, "As far back as anyone can remember we've been in Gryffindor but I suppose it's possible one of my ancestors spoke parseltongue."

The silence became deafening as everyone absorbed this and began wondering if the Potters were somehow related to Salazar Slytherin - who isn't the only parseltongue every but is definitely the most noted and known.

 **Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go - cupboard - stay - no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

 **Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

 **He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead.**

"He remembers that?" Lily whispered fearfully as James wrapped his arm around her comfortingly, equally saddened that their son remembers something so awful.

 **forehead. This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

 **When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

 **At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.** **The only friend he had, the only person who didn't seem to hate him actually, was Des but even she couldn't be around all the time. Besides, she was homeschooled instead of attending the local primary school like Harry and Dudley.**

"That's the end of chapter one. Any questions you have will most likely be answered later on but you can ask anyways. I might be able to answer some." I offer as everyone looks eager.

"Do any of us appear in this book?" Frank questions thoughtfully.

"One of you do. And some of you have children that are in the Harry's first year."

"Do I ever get my flying motorcycle back?" Sirius pleads, desperation on his face.

I grin slightly, "No. You let Hagrid keep it." He groans loudly, pretending to cry on Remus' shoulder.

"MY TURN! What's your full name? Did we give you a middle name?" Serena questions.

"My full name is Desdemona Faye Black. I was born Halloween night in 1978 to the 17 year old Serena Evans and Regulus Black. You'll find out who my godfather is later."

"Why didn't Harry come back with you?" Lily questions, "Is he alright in the time you left him?"

"He's fine where I left; he didn't exactly know I was coming. It was a secret between Dumbledore and myself because then everyone would want to come back and it would be too much."

"Does my sister Andromeda have a happy life with the muggle man she's married?" Narcissa asks quietly.

I smile brightly, "Yeah she's very happy with Ted. I meet them once and she's very happy with her life."

"All of you are asking the wrong questions!" James exclaimed suddenly. "Is Harry on the Gryffindor quidditch team?" He demands intensely.

"How do you know he'll be a Gryffindor? Maybe he has more brains than you and got into Ravenclaw." Remus joked as James shot him a dark look.

"My son will definitely be in Gryffindor. The lion pride runs through his veins!" He defends.

"But he speaks parseltongue." Regulus points out only to fall silent as Sirius glares at him.

"GUYS! The book will reveal all eventually, calm ya'll tits down." I order.

"Wait, what house are you in Des?" Alice questions and suddenly everyone's staring at me.

A/N: I'm ending here because I really don't know what house she should be in. I'm thinking maybe Ravenclaw? But IDK. If anyone is reading this and has an idea please let me know! I'll dedicate the chapter to you too.


	4. Completly Bonkers!

**CHAPTER THREE**

A/N: Okay I know in the little summary thingy it said she was Gryffindor. And I had planned her to be, originally. However, I feel like it's kind of overused since most fanfics I read have an OC in Gryffindor so I'm really not feeling it. I'd like to thank whoever reviewed and suggested she be in SLYTHERIN! I'm new to this site so IDK if it's usual that the review just says 'From: Guest' but thanks! This chapter is for you! Also, if anyone has a problem with how I'm having them comment on the story (think I need the marauder era people to talk more or whatever) please let me know! I promise once they get to Hogwarts my OC will be more involved and I'll add in my own little bits to the story line.

I grin shyly at the startled expressions around me, feeling relieved that neither of my parents seem upset about it.

"But you're so … nice? How could someone as nice as you be a slimy Slytherin?" James demands, much to my (and all the other Slytherin's) annoyance.

"Just because some people in Slytherin are evil that doesn't mean all of them are. Besides, Slytherins are known for being cunning, sneaky, and persistent. There's nothing wrong with that." I explained angrily.

"WAIT! I thought only pure bloods could be in Slytherin? And every Slytherin ever mentioned in history has been evil or is known for doing something bad!" James complained.

"There have been plenty of half-bloods in Slytherin! It's just not as common. And every Slytherin ever _mentioned_ has been evil, not every Slytherin. There's a difference." Severus snapped, annoyed by the slander of his house.

"My son's friends with a Slytherin." James realizes, face scrunched up in disgust only to be smacked sharply in the back of the head by Lily.

"He's also the _cousin_ of a Slytherin," She hisses angrily at her future husband.

"Ya'll need to stop judging the girl you barely meet. You had no ill will or hate towards her until she said she was a Slytherin so move on already. Besides if she was evil she'd be here talking to future death eaters or You-Know-Who about how to take over the world a lot faster." Frank pointed out.

Evidently they decided that I wasn't (too) evil and asked me to continue reading the book.

" _Chapter Three: The Letters from No One_ \- "

"YESSS!" James, Sirius, and (surprisingly) Serena cheered enthusiastically.

" **The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

 **Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting.**

 **Harry was especially saddened to receive a letter from Mrs. Figg that Des had sent for him saying that she wasn't going to be able to visit him till the end of summer due to being grounded. She assured him that she'd come see him on his birthday though - she was really the only one who even knew when it was and she always brought him a cupcake with a candle. In fact, he couldn't remember a single birthday of his that she hadn't been too much like he couldn't remember actually meeting her - she was just always there. Now that she wasn't going to be around, Harry felt even more trapped at number four Privet Drive."**

"When did you meet him?" Lily questioned, curious about how long the girl must have been hanging around if her son couldn't even remember meeting her.

I frowned slightly at the memory, "I had just turned 7 but Harry was still 4. My godfather took me to the park by where the Dursley's lived and I was playing when I saw Harry crying in the little tunnel thing. I didn't know who he was at first, really. Not until he calmed down a little and looked up - I got a glimpse of his scar and knew immediately he was my cousin."

"Why was he crying at a park?" James demanded before Lily could.

"The Dursley's had taken him and Dudley but when they left they left Harry behind." I admitted, angry at the memory of my 4 year old cousin alone and crying. "He told me that they'd forgotten him _again_ and I was livid. I told him to wait right there and ran to tell my Godfather; he contacted Dumbledore and someone was sent to … speak to the Dursley's about their behavior. Harry's memory was altered slightly as we didn't want him to remember something that traumatic; he'd been alone at the park at least 3 hours before I'd found him."

Everyone looked shocked at this, someone looked downright murderous.

"WHAT KIND OF PERSON LEAVES A CHILD ALONE LIKE THAT! HONESTLY, WHEN I SEE THAT BLAST-ENDED SKANK I'LL KILL HER!" Lily shrieked, pacing - more like stomping back and forth - as she did so. Finally she pulled out her wand and blow up several unused pillows with a rather deadly "Reducto!" Before calming down enough for me to continue.

While she was very vocal about her outrage, the marauders were relatively quiet as they whispered among themselves. If it wasn't for James' shaking frame, Sirius's tightly gripped wand, and Remus' murderous look I'd have thought they weren't that upset by the news.

 **This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope.**

 **hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny** **, although Harry wasn't too upset as Des had hinted that he'd be seeing a lot more of her once he started the new school year.**

 **"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

 **"No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it - it might be sick." Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said.**

 **One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

 **Plus Mrs. Figgs had another letter from Des, who told Harry that she'd be by as soon as she could and that her Godfather already promised she could go see him on his birthday, although she'd still be grounded and wouldn't be able to stay long. Harry was curious as to what she'd done to get her Godfather so mad; he'd never met the man but from what he'd heard from Des Harry knew the man truly doted on her. The only thing her letter revealed, however, was that it'd been "an innocent prank - nobody even got hurt!"**

 **That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

 **As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.**

"Maybe Dumbledore sent Harry there so he'd learn self control in even the most outrageous situations?" Sirius offered up weakly although nobody responded, still upset about the boy's childhood.

"I can't wait for him to get to Hogwarts." Lily sighed as everyone expressed their agreement.

 **There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.**

 **"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

 **"Your new school uniform," she said.**

 **Harry looked in the bowl again.**

 **"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

 **"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."**

Severus winced slightly in pity, all to used to the embarrassment of sticking out in school due to his lack of material things, specifically new clothing. He quickly dismissed the pity as he remembered this was _Potter's_ son, the same Potter who was so kind as to point out Severus' lack of material things and encourage the embarrassment he'd experience.

 **Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High - like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

 **Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

 **They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

 **"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

 **"Make Harry get it."**

 **"Get the mail, Harry."**

 **"Make Dudley get it."**

 **"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

"OH HELL NO! IF THAT LITTLE PORKER POKES HIM I'MMA KICK HIS ARSE!" Alice snapped, surprising everyone at her sudden anger.

As Alice cursed under her breathe lightly, I decided to continue reading just as eage as everyone else to get to Harry's first year at Hogwarts.

 **Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and - a letter for Harry.**

Sirius let out a loud pitched squeal of excitement causing everyone to look at him.

"Back to your knitting, nothing to see here." He mumbled, face red in embarrassment as everyone began laughing at him.

"I think you'd better hurry and read or Sirius is gonna start having a B.F." Serena joked with a wide grin. She and Sirius always had an interesting relationship; she'd taunt him, he'd prank her, she'd curse him, he'd attempt revenge and get detention. It was a beautiful cycle of life.

"What's a B.F. and why would Sirius have one?" Remus questioned, moving away from Sirius as if he were contagious.

"A Bitch Fit." All the females, and Frank, chorused as one.

"I would not have a Bitch Fit!" Sirius exclaimed appalled and defensive. "And how the hell did you know that Frank?"

"Alice told me after Marlene McKinnon (A/N: She was a member of the order mentioned, she died in the first war) had one when you dumped her last year." Frank explained as James and Remus grinned at each other.

"I don't know, Sirius, I've seen you throw some pretty intense Bitch Fits before." James pointed out smugly.

"Yeah, it kind of goes with your personality." Remus agreed immediately as Sirius throw a shoe at him and another at James.

"LET HARRY READ HIS LETTER ALREADY!" Lily yelled, cutting off their banter. "SIRIUS HAS A B.F WEEKLY, WE GET IT NOW LET'S READ ON!"

"Lilypad, you've got quite a set of lungs on you." James mumbled jokingly as he rubbed his ears.

Lily shot him a look before hissing out through closed teeth, "Don't call me that." And turning back to me to continue reading.

"Anime sweatdrop moment," Serena mumbles as I read.

 **Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him** **besides Des** **. Who would? He had no** **other** **friends, no other relatives - he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

 **Mr. H. Potter**

 **The Cupboard under the Stairs**

 **4 Privet Drive**

 **Little Whinging**

 **Surrey**

 **The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.** **Something told him that this letter definitely wasn't from Des, besides the fact that she sent all her letters to old Mrs. Figgs instead of directly to the house.**

 **"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.**

 **Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

"Oh, come on! Your only friend doesn't send you letters to your house because she knows your relatives will take them and you decide to just open the most important letter of your life at the table?" Narcissa scoffs, shaking her head in disbelieve. "How could the boy be that stupid?"

"He's related to Potter, it must be second nature." Severus chimed in with a sneering expression plastered on his face.

James and Sirius looked at the two Slytherins with distaste, "Watch yourself Snivellus." James hissed.

"You'd know all about stupid wouldn't you Narcissa? You're engaged to the biggest idiot there is." Sirius mocked.

Almost at once wands were drawn and tensions rose to a deadly level. I panicked, forgetting that the RoR would prohibit them from causing harm to each other.

"IF YOU LOT DON'T CALM DOWN, YOU'LL WAKE UP SPOONING WITH THE GIANT SQUID TOMORROW MORNING!" Serena threatens in a booming voice - would she actually be able to do that?

I began reading as soon as everyone sat back down, not giving anyone the chance to interrupt again or start up arguments.

 **Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard. "Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk. -."**

 **"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"**

 **Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

 **"That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

 **"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.**

 **"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

 **Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

 **"Vernon! Oh my goodness - Vernon!"**

 **They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

 **"I want to read that letter," he said loudly. want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's mine."**

 **"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

 **Harry didn't move. "I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

 **"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

 **"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.**

 **"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address - how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

 **"Watching - spying - might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"Like we don't have better things to do, you great oaf." Regulus muttered, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

 **"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want -"**

 **Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

 **"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer... Yes, that's best... we won't do anything...**

 **"But -"**

 **"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

"He better not mean what I think he means." James growls out, hand tightening around his wand that he still hadn't put away - in fact neither had Sirius or Severus.

 **That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.**

 **"Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

 **"No one. it was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it."**

 **"It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it."**

 **"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful. "Er - yes, Harry - about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking... you're really getting a bit big for it... we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom."**

"SECOND BEDROOM?" Remus exclaims, shocked as everyone lets out shouts of outrage.

"WHY ON EARTH DID HE SLEEP UNDER THE STAIRS IF YOU HAVE AN EXTRA DAMN ROOM!" Lily began shaking in anger again as Serena and Alice attempted to calm her down by telling her ideas to torment Petunia this summer.

"Why would Dumbledore let this happen? I mean it's no surprise he's a bit off his rocker, but you'd think he'd at least ensure the child's safety." Regulus commented offhandedly.

"Sirius we need to stock up on Zonks' next trip. Remus we need you to start some serious planning." James ordered as he added another tally under the name "Dursley" he'd written on a piece of parchment.

"Guys calm down a bit; remember I'm here to tell you things so you can make sure that this isn't the future I return to. But if I don't get through all the books you won't know what needs to be changed." I plead with them to let me continue once more.

 **"Why?" said Harry.**

 **"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs,**

 **now."**

 **The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms:**

"Four!" Lily hisses, realising they had not one but _two_ extra rooms yet still forced her son to sleep under the stairs.

 **The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

 **From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, I don't want him in there... I need that room... make him get out..."**

 **Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

 **Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back. Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

 **When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive -'"**

 **With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

 **"Go to your cupboard - I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry.**

 **"Dudley - go - just go."**

 **Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

 **The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

 **He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door -**

 **Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat - something alive!**

"Please let it be the oaf, please or please let it be the oaf." Sirius began chanting under his breath at the same time Serena began her own chant of "His stupid face, please let him have stepped on his face."

 **Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap.**

 **Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink.**

" **I want -" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes. Uncle Vernon did not go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

 **"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

 **"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

 **"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.**

"Thank God for that," Severus muttered, disgust on his face as he imagined how life would be with more people like Vernon Dursley. Everyone gave similar looks of agreement, imagining different versions of that life - each more haunting than the last.

 **On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom. Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

 **On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

 **"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

 **On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

 **"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today -"**

"Why on Earth with there be no post on Sunday?" James asked, baffled at the idea.

"Muggles deliver post through postmen not owls; Sunday's the postmen have the day off so the mail doesn't get delivered until Monday." Lily explained swiftly as several members of the RoR Group nodded, being from Pure-Blooded families.

"I wish I could see his face when he realizes Harry's still gonna get letters regardless of the day," Sirius grinned mischievously at the thought.

"Hey Sirius, do you think we'd get letters like that if we didn't reply to them next year? Actually, I don't think I've ever replied to the letter." James realizes, startled as they all began thinking it over.

"I think it has something to do with Harry being in a muggle house, Serena and I both had replied to the letter and then someone was sent to talk to our parents about Hogwarts and to explain things." Lily commented.

 **Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one.**

 **"Out! OUT!" Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

 **"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"**

 **He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.**

We had a short pause as Lily and Serena explained the muggle devices and what they're for, although they didn't have to explain why it was so stupid of the idiot boy to try and back all that stuff in his bag - once it was clarified that the bag was a normal, not magical, bag without an expansion charm.

 **They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. "Shake'em off... shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

 **They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.**

"At least there's one good thing coming out of this, Dursley's boy is suffering more than Harry." Alice mumbled, rolling her eyes.

 **Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering...**

 **They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

 **"'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk." She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

 **Mr. H. Potter**

 **Room 17**

 **Railview Hotel**

 **Cokeworth**

 **Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

 **"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room. Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multi level parking garage.**

 **"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?"**

"Completely bonkers!" Sirius exclaimed cheerfully as James laughed.

 **"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared. It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled.**

 **"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television. "**

 **Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday - and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television - then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun** **with the Dursleys** **\- last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

 **Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

 **And the last letter he'd gotten from Des said she'd be able to come see him - which wasn't very likely with the current situation. But still, if she came to the house and saw they'd left she'd most likely come over every day until they get back to make sure he was okay. Harry felt his spirits lift as he began wondering what she might have gotten him; it was always something he'd really enjoy and then something he'd really needed.**

"You-you got him presents?" Lily whispered, tears in her eyes at the thought that her son didn't enjoy his own birthday like he should.

"Of course, he's family." I smile at her gently before continuing.

 **Last year, Des had gotten Harry some brand new shoes and a Gameboy, along with Tetris and Super Mario Land. The year before she'd gotten him new glasses and gave him her old bike - she'd spray painted it red and even taught him to ride it, although Dudley's gang broke it after almost a year. In years before he'd gotten clothes, games, school supplies, a trip to London, and many other things - all of which he took good care of, unless Dudley got a hold of it. As Harry tried to think of what he really needed - the only thing he could imagine her getting, as the 'extra' gift was always a surprise he'd never expect - he wondered if maybe it was that she'd be going to school with him. It'd be nice to have a friend with him there.**

Lily suddenly tackled me in a hug, crying as she thanked me over and over. Once I'd managed to calm her down - at least five minutes later - I saw everyone smiling at me warmly. Including my parents.

Suddenly feeling slightly embarrassed - it really wasn't a big deal to me - I hurried to continue.

 **Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

 **"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

 **It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

 **"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

 **A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

 **"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!" It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

"They'll be alright, won't they?" Lily asked alarmed.

"As long as Harry's okay, I couldn't care less what happened to the rest of them." James scowled at her, a look of betrayal on his face as he did so.

She scoffed at him, "I do! I can't wait to see who comes for Harry and what they do to my horrid sister!"

 **The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms. Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.**

 **"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully. He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

 **As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

 **The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.**

 **Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow. Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

 **One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds... twenty ... ten… nine - maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him - three... two… one...**

 **BOOM.**

 **The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"Who is it?" Lily demands, eyes wide in excitement as she imagines horrible things happening to her sister.

I grin at her expression, "You'll just have to wait and find out. Do you guys have anything to say or should I continue?"

"Continue!" Lily exclaimed, cutting Sirius off with a murderous look. He quickly nodded, hidding behind Remus slightly.

A/N: Sorry this was a bit rushed but not much happened. THANK YOU FOR READING AND THE REVIEWS!

Also, since I'm adding my own OC and my own things to the story would anyone object/be upset if I add in my own chapters here and there? The story is in third person, so I could just add my own chapters to see how she interacts with others at school when Harry's not around. I might add in more OC's later on, to kind of establish more of a friend base for her (her best friends are the Twins thought!) so if anyone wants a character added in let me know! They won't be a big OC but I'll mention them throughout the books.


End file.
